So let’s talk about the cross as a blessing.

Jesus’ death on the cross relieves us from our false belief that life is a simple matter of cause-and-effect. ie. if we do the right thing, we get rewarded. Don’t we wish it were that simple! But beloveds it doesn’t work like that. 1/

If it did, Jesus would’ve died wealthy and of old age. But he was poor and quasi-homeless and he was not exactly on great terms with the powers that be. He didn’t make the 30 under 30 list, beloveds.

We can do all the “right things” and not “succeed” in the eyes of the world. 2/

The cross is a blessing bc it allows us to let go of this way of seeing the world, which frankly causes us to suffer because a lot of us work hard and do good and have little to show for it. It allows us to see life as a journey toward wisdom, not prosperity or accolades, etc. 3/

What if we let the cross teach us that a life well lived is one of integrity, of embodying our values w/ our actions even when things get really messy &hard?

What if we saw the goal of human life as moving toward wholeness, rather than an exercise in who did capitalism best? 4/

The cross is also a blessing bc it clearly reveals that Jesus is near the oppressed, forgotten, betrayed and broken-hearted. Jesus sides with the “weak” which is very uncomfortable for us bc it requires us to embrace our own vulnerability. Which is not on anyone’s to do list. 5/

If we had our way, we’d rather God be a winner and us be on the winning team. The cross destroys that. What a gift. Because “winning team theology” is not the gospel or beloved community or creation flourishing. That’s just us & our fears & pain trying to hide from actual life.5/

God loves us enough not to let us dwell here, which is why the center of our faith is not rah rah winning but the cross.

Moltmann says Jesus became the kind of human we most don’t want to be: rejected, despised, abandoned, exposed, tortured. (Oof.) 6/

I think we may fear those experiences can take away our worth or expose our lack. We think human frailty undoes us. Jesus says and shows otherwise. He enters into our suffering and transforms it. He brings life to the places we fear the most. He shows us the human/divine way. 7/

This should fundamentally change how we show up in the world. Our belovedness is not in question. The powers that threaten our dignity and worth are to be toppled with courage and love. They are false. They are chaff. But they can be sinister, so we have to be wise as serpents.8/

Personally, the cross is a blessing because the thing we may be the *worst at* is accepting God’s love for us. So when we literally kill Jesus & he still comes to us in peace and offers life and love? What else does God have to do to prove this love is a gift and not a reward? 9/

The cross and resurrection affirm that nothing can separate us from God’s love. Not our suffering. Not our fear. Not our violence. Not our absolute worst mistake. Not the principalities and powers of injustice that try to steal our dignity. Not even death. Nothing. 9/

The blessing of the cross is courage and it is life and it is second and third chances on the other side of a bad decision. It is the safety and security that comes from knowing our belovedness remains, always. / end